Mondays are widely considered the “worst” day of the week.
Being yanked out of the weekend and forced back into the work week is certainly not as enjoyable as getting home on a Friday night, but there are some things you can do to “beat the Mondays.”
Use these easy tips and tricks to turn Monday into your best and most productive day of the week!
As I said before, the main reason Mondays are such a struggle is because of the transition from weekend to work week.
Many people try to squeeze as much freedom and relaxation out of the weekend as possible, so they purposefully put work out of their mind until they wake up Monday morning.
While I can completely understand that desire, that can actually contribute to making Mondays so…tiresome.
The moment your alarm goes off Monday morning is not the first time you should start thinking about the work week.
That guarantees that you’ll feel overwhelmed Monday morning, and maybe even feel a little unprepared for the coming week.
A better strategy is to set aside some time Sunday afternoon or evening for you to start preparing for the coming work week.
You don’t have to do anything major, maybe just look through your calendar for the next week and think about what meetings/ assignments/ etc. you have coming up.
It won’t take any substantial time away from your relaxation and can significantly help you feel less overwhelmed come Monday morning.
Keep in mind that better Mondays start with smarter Sundays.
In addition to setting aside some time on Sunday to mentally prepare for the upcoming week, also make an effort to go to bed early on Sunday.
Being well rested makes any day better, and especially Mondays when you’re already struggling with that transition back.
For some people it’s also helpful to lay out their clothes the night before.
This allows you to save time the next morning and have one less thing to worry about.
Along those same lines of laying your clothes out the night before, to make Mondays better try dressing up a little!
I know that might sound ridiculous, but saving your favorite tie or even a new pair of dress socks to wear on Monday can give you the boost you need to power through.
Now that it’s officially Monday and you’ve done all the prep work you can, there are also ways for you to make Mondays better throughout the day.
The first thing you should do when you get to work is make a list of things you’re excited for that week.
This will help you have things to look forward to, which makes the worst of days easier to get through.
It’s also always a good idea to start your days off with a little gratitude.
If your job doesn’t allow you to come in and write such a list first thing, you can also just make a mental list on your drive in.
The important thing is to really consider the exciting, positive things you have coming up and feel grateful for them.
Along with the exciting things you have to look forward to, set positive affirmations Monday morning.
They can be anything you like, just some small goals for you to focus on in the upcoming week.
This allows you to start your week on a burst of productivity and plans for the rest of the week.
Throughout the day, make sure to stay active and take breaks when you need them.
Get up and walk around the office if you’ve been sitting too long.
Engage in some water-cooler conversation to give your brain a break.
Being stagnant and staying seated all day leads to feelings of tiredness and lack of motivation that are closely associated with the Monday blues.
If you feel yourself becoming unmotivated or lethargic, force yourself to get up and walk around, or go somewhere special for lunch.
Having little bonuses (like a nice lunch or a specialty coffee) can really help make Mondays more bearable.
You might even start to look forward to that first day of the week!
